Ellie Schimelman's background is as a potter and an educator. Over 20 years ago she started traveling to Ghana, looking for inspiration as an artist. Enamored by the country, its people and its arts - and unable to stop returning to it - in 1994 she formed Aba Tours and started taking others.

In 2002 Ellie started an educational non-profit called Cross Cultural Collaborative, Inc. to promote cultural exchange and understanding through the arts. People from around the world come to ABA HOUSE, in Nungua, Ghana, to interact with African artists. Artists live and work together in an environment where they can exchange ideas and find universal connections.